Shattered Soul
by angie9281
Summary: Taking place right after the traumatic events of Deadly Doppelganger, Sookie finds herself at the mercy of a strange illness that threatens her very existence and it is up to a support system of her kin to help her. But when it is revealed that only one can pull her from the cusp of death, can the deepest hidden feelings and truths revealed save her in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note-it has been a little while since my last story, sorry! As always, thank for your support and please read and review this story as well as the others I have posted. Thank you!**

 **Chapter 1**

He awoke with a start as a pair of small hands was shaking him hard, trying to wake him from his day rest. He could tell right away something was seriously amiss and as he sat up and gently took the hands of their daughter into his, Eric felt a sick feeling enter him, feeling something in the bond he had with Sookie. The night before, when they had returned from dealing with a warlock and a doppelganger of Eric, both of which had threatened to destroy his family as he knew it, Sookie had blamed herself for having fallen for the false Viking. And that she had nearly killed the real thing as she struggled to fight off the enchantment she had been under was not easy for her to cope with either. The last thing he had said to her was to not blame herself and that was hours ago, when she had drifted off to sleep. But she had looked despondent, more depressed than he had ever seen her. He had stoked her head gently, played with her hair in the soothing way he knew she loved and it had broken his heart as he knew how hard on herself she had been being. Though they had all survived and the double and the warlock now dead, he had thought it would just be another day in their more than interesting lives. Instead, though, it seemed all her fears and worried had taken a toll on her.

"Come on, mommy isn't waking up…I mean, she's awake but she's not listenin'…won't play dollies with me….." Aurora, in her excitement, had accidentally made her own small but still deadly fangs pop out and with a simple arched eyebrow and frown from Eric that couldn't help but smirk a bit, she bashfully put them away and took him by the hand, leading him straight to where Sookie was laying.

She was in her two piece pink silk pajamas and barefoot, a blanket covering her that the child had placed over her, knowing that she wasn't well. As young as Aurora was and as fast as the faerie-vamp child had grown over the past weeks, she was quite attuned to things around her, perceptive. She was far wiser than her five year old appearance would lead one to believe her as being and yet she was still quite young and prone to be scared and saddened like any normal child would be. This was certainly no exception. Tears were coming down her face as she rushed to the side of her stricken mother. "Mommy, mommy, wake up…daddy's here, wake up!" her pleas went unheard, Sookie remaining unblinking and pale looking. Taking the little one by the hand, he knelt at the side of the almost comatose-like Sookie. Though her eyes were open, he knew not if she could see, concern was etched on his face as he too tried to get her to snap out of it. Something was seriously wrong and there was but one person he though may know something of what was happening.

And of course, the fairy king had appeared before his name had managed to escape the lips of the Viking and though a little taken aback by the sudden appearance of Niall, Eric was nevertheless relieved as he impatiently gestured for him to come examine her.

"I sensed something was terribly wrong, which brought me here…..ah, little Aurora, you aren't as little as you were the last time I saw you….."

"Hi grampa Niall." Aurora said as he knelt down to hug him. "I got a good memory, I remember seein you when I was littler. Guess I got a smart brain, huh?" she said with a grin on her face as he returned the smile.

"You are quite unique, little one…." he replied as he ruffled her mane of long blonde hair and turned back to the couch to where his granddaughter lay.

"What happened to her? She was so depressed last night and the next thing I know I am woken up by Aurora and she brings me up here…..she shouldn't be sick, she can't get sick, being what she is…." Eric was kneeling at her side and fingering her hair, hoping somehow he could break her from this. But she remained motionless, lethargic. But he saw tears were falling and that she blinked gave him pause, hope. But still, she said nothing, did nothing. He let Niall get closer and as he watched the fairy king run his hands slowly over her body, hovering over her a few inches, there was a energy emitted, a soft light and Niall was muttering to himself.

"It is what I expected and worse." Niall said as he rubbed his face in distress. "Faeries are emotional beings and attuned to those around them. It is a rare thing but sometimes they can become so overburdened with not only their own emotions but those that they care for. Her fears, her worry, everything has manifested into her falling into this state. Her body, as strong and as powerful as it may be is no match for the burdens upon her mind and spirit. She can hear and see everything around her but can not react and unless we can heal her…." Niall didn't want to say anything in front of the little one but Aurora was astute.

"She'll die." Aurora said matter of factly, though her face was pained as she looked from her grandfather to her father to her ill mother. "How can we make her all better?" she asked with bright blue eyes, looking from one relative to the other and back to her mom again.

"Do you want to sit and talk to her for a few minutes while I talk to your dad? It may help your mom feel better." Niall crouched down to be closer to Aurora's height. It was clearly a diversion but the child didn't seem to mind and if she did, she showed no sign and instead was careful to crawl up and snuggled up with her mother and started rattling off things, mostly how it felt to be a big girl and not need diapers anymore. Simple, inane comments to be sure but the two others in the room couldn't help but appreciate the innocence of a child.

Niall was led into the nearby kitchen, Eric not wanting to be too far from the rest of his family and though he knew Aurora had supernatural hearing herself, he believed she would be too occupied with talking to Sookie to try to overhear the two in the kitchen. Leaning against the Italian marble counter where the sink was, the Viking hung his head as he had his back to Niall. He didn't want to let him see how troubled he was but knew he couldn't fool him. Turning to face him, the vampire was shaking his head. "One thing after another…..she felt so guilty…as if she was to blame for what those psychos did."

"From what I understand, that warlock wielded some seriously dark magic and even one as powerful as Sookie is, with her faerie power deriving from light, even she was vulnerable and shouldn't have been so hard on herself. But it doesn't change what we are dealing with now."

"So how do we deal with this, how can we snap her out of this?"

"WE can only do as your daughter us doing. Be with her, speak to her. Coax her to fight back, to live. I know it is not the fast answer you would like…..I would prefer to be able to use my power to being her back but no one can undo this save for Sookie herself. She has to want to keep moving forward, to forgive herself." Niall said wearily. "And to be honest, this has been a long time coming, from the day her faerie powers were awakened and all the traumas she has dealt with….something had to give and she has always been hard on herself. More so since she got together with you for the long haul. I have always peeked in on the two of you and know she loves you and the little one more than anything. That she has fallen into such a state says how badly she feels, the heavy guilt she feels." Niall walked over to the vampire and patted his shoulder. "I always wanted the best for her and I know that she got it. As rough and as bloodthirsty as you can be. As cruel….lately it has only been to protect those you love. It wasn't really all that long ago when you would have used her for her powers and tossed her aside after draining her, now was it?"

The bitter truth of his words stung Eric but he had to admit that in the beginning, when he had first met Sookie, he had though her powers interesting, as something to exploit for his own gain. Then, he cared not about knowing the woman behind the powers but as time went on, she had piqued his curiosity. "I am better for her entering my life…..that I was ever so cold, so….." he trailed off. "I am still someone to be reckoned with, no one should make that mistake."

"And there is that pride of yours, never wanting anyone to know the best of you…" Niall mused. "Pride is not going to get us anywhere, what we need to do is get anyone and everyone that is close to her in order for them to say their pieces in the hopes that she will respond and return to us. Our timeframe, I am afraid, is limited."

"Of course it is. How much time do you think we-she-has?"

"After reading her body energies with my own magic, I think we have a matter of hours. I have never seen this illness move so fast and it can only be because of the burdens, the guilt, the emotions she is feeling. And humans don't believe that emotions can make one ill…." he returned to the living room where they had left Sookie and Aurora and he stopped dead in his tracks by the heart wrenching sight, the youngster curled up asleep against the all but lifeless body of her mother and as he turned to the figure that he knew was close behind, Niall was unsurprised to hear the shattering of glass behind him, the anger and the frustration of the situation being unleashed by the still exhausted Viking. There was a flash of light and Eric was down on his back, looking up into the frowning face of Niall. "I believe your home has suffered enough damage as of late and it wouldn't do anyone any good to have more of a mess when she awakens, correct?"

He said nothing as he got up on his feet again, raking a hand through his hair. He could only stare, "I am willing to do anything to save her…."

"Then start. Go to her and tell her…everything you have ever wanted to. Things you have held back. You have changed, that there is no doubt and part of you wants to hold on to that violent persona. And I am not telling you it is wrong to keep that part of you alive. Fir it has certainly helped save you and your own numerous times. But unless you can truly reveal your deepest thoughts, feelings to her, then you cant possible reach her and thus bring her out of this. It is through the bond you two share-both physical and emotional-that you must use to save her. You and you alone can save her, even if I had all your family gathered around her, the bonds she has with them are not the same. It is the uniqueness, the past you share that has made it have to be you. And so I ask you now….are you ready to do this?"

Saying nothing, Eric moved back towards the couch and asked Niall to take the sleeping Aurora to her room. Alone with the fallen figure upon the couch, he could feel her slipping from him through their bond and that he seemingly was the only one who could pull her out if this? All the smugness, the arrogance and the swagger that ha still carried with him was being stripped from him as he sat at her side, humbled by the situation before him.

 **To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

He overheard Niall going to check in on Aurora and so it was that he remained in the living room with the fallen Sookie. The daylight was still bright outside, he could feel it and as such he was not as rested as he should have been. Ignoring the damp feeling in his ears-the bleeds had started-he took her hands into his own and was taken aback by how they felt. They were cool, limp, the power he knew that could flare from them nowhere to be felt or seen. It was before his own eyes he could see her skin losing its rosiness, its glow. That she was turning greyish before his own eyes told him that time was slipping, faster than he or Niall had thought. While it was true that she had changed him greatly since the night they had first met, there was still that reluctance, that fear to show his true emotions and he had never been the most brave around those who were at death's door. He had had plenty of experience dealing with death and dying and he could never forget the helplessness he had felt back in his Viking days when he was powerless to save the men he had fought alongside. And though he had the power to turn those on death's door now, he was feeling powerless once more as there was nothing but his words, his emotions that could bring her out of this. Stubborn pride, it was still a problem he had but a problem he knew would only doom her if he couldn't reveal the deepest feelings he had, admittedly had yet to truly reveal to not only her but the rest of those who he loved.

"I….I don't know hot to begin here….this…I thought it would be a little easier than this. I have never been afraid of a challenge. Never. But this…its entirely different and I hate it. That I feel so helpless as I watch you fade away." he started as he took a hand and gently started to brush a strand of her hair from her face. "This is like Nora all over again." he couldn't help but blurt out. "You weren't there that night, seeing her sickness progress before my eyes. I was so….helpless, I had tried everything to save her and if only she had been able to last longer, when the cure was discovered….now it's happening again and….." he trailed off as he was finding it strangely difficult to continue. He stood up and started pacing, the pain of the past surging back into him, flashes of the night Nora had died in his arms reopening wounds that had never healed. None of his emotional wounds had ever truly healed, though he had to admit that since he had finally won Sookie, things had been easier on him, like he felt that he could be happy. And now that happiness was once again on the brink of shattering and if he were to lose her this day, he knew not how he could cope, what the future would hold for himself and their daughter and the rest of their unusual but close knit family.

He crossed back to the couch and knelt at her side again, ignoring the blood dripping from his ears, the anger, the sadness overwhelming him. "How dare you be giving up so easily? You are and have always been a fighter and yet here you are, letting the depression or whatever the hell this is destroy you. Do you not want to see your family again? Do you not want to see your daughter grow up? Do you care nothing for her or the family…or me? That you let yourself fall into such despondence….." he was a mix of anger laced with desperation as he continued to address the still figure that he knew could hear and see him. "You can see what you're doing to me and yet you aren't fighting, you let your guilt, everything overwhelm you and now look at you? A pale imitation of what I know you really are!" he was almost shouting at her now and for that he felt regret and so he restrained himself, knowing he had only lashed out because of the fear and the direness of the situation. He had wanted to do this gently, with the compassion that he had. But old habits died hard and he was still rather impatient and kept on with the angry ranting, the shouting more than enough to bring Niall back to the room, Aurora in tow.

"I just got your kid to bed, you really want to wake her and force her to see all of this?" Niall came up to the vampire and looking up at him slapped him hard across the face. "You really think yelling and carrying on like that is going to snap her out of this? Look at her….do you think it has helped her? Look at her!" Niall was annoyed and upset and forced the Viking to look closer at the ailing woman. And there from her dull eyes came tears. Tears that he knew he had caused Sookie to unleash, even in this state. "How many tears has she shed thanks to her efforts into helping not only you but the others she loves? That temper, that stubborn pride and reluctance, resistance to reveal your vulnerable side is going to kill her." Niall forced the Viking to look closer and there was do denying what Eric saw. Her skin was graying, she was looking more and more corpse like by the minute. "I am sorry for being so blunt with you and believe me when I say I care for you greatly. Your pride has been a problem in the past and it is being such again. Look at your daughter and tell me you wouldn't do your damndest to save her. And then look at Sookie….."

The child walked up to her father and took him by the hand, gesturing for him to get down to her level and as he did, slowly, managing a weak smile for the child. "Hey there kid, why don't you go play with your-'

"Not getting rid of me. Nope. I am gonna help you fix mommy. And you can't stop me."

"I think it would be better if you played in your room for a little while." Eric said gently and as he tried to pick her up to take her to her room, she vanished in a bright light, only to reappear sitting at the other end of the couch where she looked at the two with a grin. Niall and Eric looked at each other, surprise written all over their faces. "Never before have I seen a faerie take to her powers like a duck to water…..this one is certainly something special."

"There is little doubt of that." replied Eric as he went back over to the couch and looked sternly at the little one, who looked back at him with a feigned look of innocence. "You need to be careful about that magic of yours, kid….if something happened to you too….after what happened last night….." the memories of last night with Ezra and the devious double of him that had nearly taken his family from him were still quite fresh and painful. That those memories were what was causing Sookie to have fallen in such distress, the proverbial straw that broke the camels back with the previous emotional baggage she had long held onto. "You are uncommonly bright and wise, little one….maybe you can help me out here with your mother? And I would be happy if you didn't use that magic of yours to teleport, if anything went wrong….."

She looked at him with bright blue eyes and nodded vigorously. Though appearing to be five, it was fast becoming evident that she seemed to be a old soul. That being said, her child like impulses were still there as well and she didn't want to anger or upset anyone. "Sorry." she said sheepishly. "But I do want to help mommy." and she moved herself off the couch and took her father by the hand and crawled up into his arms as he perched on the coffee table.

Niall took in the scene and sighed. "Never have I seen anyone have you wrapped around their fingers before. Well, I shouldn't say that, now should I. like mother like daughter I suppose…..I can leave the two of you alone if you wish."

"You are part of this family too and maybe having the two of you here can help…inspire me….to keep me from going off again like I did. Which I didn't mean to, of course."

Niall nodded. "Of course you didn't, I am as fearful as you are of losing her and it is certainly a stressful time. But go on, tell her, be honest."

Feeling the gentle grip of the child's hand in his much larger hand, he somehow felt more centered, more grounded. Less full of anger and it was strange but it seemed that somehow, his anger was tempered, that he felt more restrained. That this link, this little person whom he shared a deep connection to Sookie with, could be what he could draw strength from to save Sookie. Finally, he took his other hand and slipped it into the limp grip of Sookie's and though disturbed by the coolness, the listlessness of her touch, he felt renewed. "I have suffered greatly in my long life and was hardened…even when I was human I felt like there was little I could love. Especially after my family was massacred. It wasn't long after that I was mortally wounded and then I met Godric and you of course know the rest. Part of it anyway. Before he became the Godric you knew so briefly he was violent. Savage. And he took that part of me that already existed and made it that much more…I became much more closed off with my emotions, believing it made me weak. That I had cared about people before only to see them killed made me feel weak and I vowed never to feel so weak and helpless again. And though I cared deeply for Godric and then Pam, I still wasn't…..sentimental, I suppose you could say/ it was not until I met Sylvie that I started feeling like I hadn't lost my humanity, my capability to love, to care. But then after what happened to her, the choice I had been forced to make, I became closed off again, never imagining I could…"

"Daddy, it's ok." Aurora said as she nuzzled against him and reached up to wipe a blood tear from his face and it was that moment that made him realize once again how far he had come thanks to the mere fact that Sookie had entered his bar in that white dress that one night. A night that at the time had meant little but now? A complete change from then. Aurora seemed a little tired herself, clearly not as well rested as she should be and so as she fell asleep, the last words from her mouth were "you can do it."

It was a moment he would come to prize over any other of the millions of moments he had had in his life. Surreal though it still seemed that he had gone from Viking warrior to vampire bar owner to New Blood billionaire and now to…family man? "You have made my life have real meaning, Sookie. I thought I wanted power. Fame. Fortunes. And part of me still craves that and probably always will. But my priorities have changed order over these past few years and you and the family are at the top of that list. I cannot and will not lose you…..the past has taught me to believe in things other than myself and I want to believe that there is somehow something out there watching over us….not that it's come through for us all the time but…its out there. But this time I know your fate relies on me and I….I just don't think there is anything else I can say, anything else I can do except for this…." he paused as he noticed her skin losing more color and he knew he didn't have much longer before she expired. "If I could take away all the guilt and pain you are carrying, that has caused up to end up in this state, I would do so…..apparently we are both meant to suffer greatly in order to reap our rewards. But I would not trade any of my sufferings I have endured if it meant the risk of losing you. Please, don't give up on yourself. Or those who love you. Or me." he was emotionally drained-something he never dreamed possible-and he rested his head against her chest while still snuggling their daughter safely between them. There came a strange sensation, a tingling he felt and as he sat up in order to see her face, he saw the color slowly coming back and her body starting to move ever so slightly. And then the moment he had hoped for happened. Her eyes opened and there he saw that spark, that life returned to them. And as Niall reentered the picture, having left for a short time to give some privacy, there was a similar look of relief on his face as he approached the couch. "You got to her, she heard your pleas, your honest truths you have never fully managed to speak to her and by unloading your own feelings, you managed to get to her hears, breaking her out of the illness caused by her emotional distress. And as such, this can never happen again, she is now immune with the truths revealed to her. How are you feeling, dear one?"

She still looked a little tired but her skin was normal and she was able to sit up, just in time for her daughter to leap into her arms, awakened by her impeccable senses, her connection to her mother strong thanks to their magic. "Oof!" she said as she held the child in her lap, laughing merrily a she hugged her close, playing with her long blonde hair. "Wow, your hair's gotten long…I am glad to have such good nurses caring for me."

"You feelin' better mama?" asked Aurora with bright blue eyes looking up at her mother.

"Better than I have in a long time and better than I was close to becoming. Sweetie, would you mind going to your room and playing so I can talk to grandpa and daddy for a minute?"

"You're trying to get rid of me." Aurora replied matter of factly, but with a smile on her face. Obeying, she scurried off, leaving the three adults in the room to take in the events of the past couple days, taking stock at that which was nearly lost only to be regained. Things that were not to ever be replaced, that much was for certain.

Niall noticed how the two of them were looking at each other and knew it was time for him to make his leave. "I should be leaving….are you sure you are feeling all right, Sookie?"

She looked from her grandfather to a quite relieved looking Eric. "Yeah, I think I will be just fine….for a very long time. Thank you for everything and don't be a stranger."

"Wouldn't dream of it." he replied as he kissed the top of her head and offered a handshake to his undead relation. "You make certain to take good care of her and that you-all three of you-finally get yourself some quality family time. The little one is soon to be full grown even with her vamp blood slowing the process, I think within the month you will have a whole different challenge to deal with. A teenager." and on that note and with an amused look on his face, Niall vanished.

"Oh yeah, and then he can sit her down and have the talk with her and we can talk about women's troubles and-" Sookie needn't talk more, for the look on Eric's face was nothing short of priceless. "Aww….come on, you've killed hundreds and have done things that would make the devil flinch. And you don't want to discuss the difference between heavy and light days?" she said, hopping from her former sick bed and playfully knocking him flat onto the floor, onto his back. But her amused expression faded as she let herself rest her head onto his chest, allowing him to play with her hair as he usually did to comfort her. "Thank you for saving me from myself. I thought about everything you said. I have to stop carrying so much guilt with me. This time it nearly killed me."

"Want to talk guilt? I have carried plenty of it for centuries. Then there is the more recent guilt. Nora…Godric…it's never been easy but it is you that has helped me feel it less. But I am no fool to think it will ever go away completely. We can only move on and maybe learn a thing or two. I hope I did….I tend to be a little stubborn."

"That makes two of us….so….what do you think about getting away from this town for a little while? Take the kid on a vacation before you get to have The Talk with her?" Sookie grinned at him again as she saw the shadow of panic cross his face before he whisked them back up onto their feet and he took her hands into his own. "I think that a vacation would be most welcome….but perhaps some rest first? You have been through quite a lot ."

"So have you and so I think a vacation is seriously overdue." she said as she followed him to the stairs where they would descend to their private quarters as well as the nursery area where they would check in on their slumbering daughter. "I thank my lucky stars every day that I made the right choice. Finally."

"Yeah, took you long enough….lucky for you I was patient for at least one thing in life." he replied and for the next few hours, before they were rejoined by a refreshed Aurora, the two lay together in a calm silence merely savoring being in one another's presence.

 **THE END**


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